It looks like all of the work that is being done to restore bay scallops in the St. Joe Bay is paying off

It looks like all of the work that is being done to restore bay scallops in the St. Joe Bay is paying off.

Researchers with the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute recently completed a survey of bay scallops around the state and found that the St. Joseph Bay adult scallop population has rebounded impressively.

The research institute surveyed more than 12,000 square meters of the Bay, and found an average of 66 scallops in St. Joseph Bay per every 200 square meters.

Last year they found around 8 scallops in the same area, and the all time average is only 12 and a half scallops per 200 square meters

In Franklin and Wakulla Counties there was only about 1 scallop per 200 square meters this year.

The FWC said the scallop population abundance is highly variable because scallops live for one year and scallops are sensitive to changes in water quality, like salinity.

Abrupt changes in scallop population abundance may occur after major environmental events such as an El Niño, hurricanes or tropical storms.

Scallop fishermen will be able to see for themselves very soon -The St. Joseph Bay scallop season opens August 16th and continues through September the 15th.

https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/mollusc/bay-scallops/season/

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